Tag: NFL

Commanders to face Cardinals entering Week 4 with 1 crazy stat

The Commanders have neither punted nor turned the ball over in their last two games.

The Arizona Cardinals’ Week 4 opponents are the Washington Commanders, who enter this week having won their last two games. Their offensive coordinator is former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, and he has the offense cooking right now.

The Commanders have a stat entering Week 4 you might not believe.

They have not turned the ball over and have not even punted in their last two games.

In Week 2, against the New York Giants, a 21-18 win, they had the ball for eight possessions. They kicked field goals on seven of them. The only other possession was at the end of the first half when they got the ball with eight seconds remaining, and they did kneeldown to take it to halftime.

In Week 3 on Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, they had eight possessions. They scored in six of them. The other two possessions were for one play — kneeldowns to end the first half and then end the game.

So in their last two games, they have scored on 13 straight viable possessions — five touchdowns and eight field goals.

On the flip side, the Cardinals held the Detroit Lions scoreless in their seven second-half possessions in Week 2 in a 20-13 loss.

If the Cardinals are going to beat Washington on Sunday afternoon, that streal will clearly have to end.

One team’s streak is going to end on Washington’s first drive of the game.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Rams’ struggling run defense gets a break against abysmal Bears rushing attack

The Rams are near the bottom in the NFL as a run defense, but the Bears’ ground game has been equally bad

As promising as the Los Angeles Rams’ new-look pass rush has been through three games, the run defense isn’t enjoying the same level of success. In fact, the Rams are among the worst teams in the NFL against the run, which isn’t terribly surprising after facing the Lions, Cardinals and 49ers in the first three weeks.

It’s obviously worrisome with Josh Jacobs, Kenneth Walker, De’Von Achane, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, James Cook, Breece Hall and likely Christian McCaffrey still on the schedule, but there is a bit of good news this week. The Rams will be going up against one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL on Sunday.

In fact, it might even be a stretch to call the Bears’ ground game an “attack.” That’s how bad D’Andre Swift and Chicago’s entire backfield has been through three weeks.

Chicago ranks 31st in rushing yards and 31st in yards per carry this season. When you dive deeper, the advanced stats tell a similar story. The Bears rank 30th in the NFL in rush EPA (expected points added) at -0.252, only better than the putrid Raiders and a Dolphins offense that has no threat of a passing game without Tua Tagovailoa.

Defensively, the Rams are allowing 0.061 EPA on the ground, which is also third-worst in the NFL. So this is a matchup between the third-worst rushing offense and the third-worst run defense.

As they say, something’s got to give.

Even with the Rams struggling to stop the run, this matchup favors Chris Shula’s group. D’Andre Swift has been atrocious behind a Bears offensive line that’s had trouble creating running lanes. On the season, he’s carried it 37 times for a total of 68 yards. He’s picked up one first down. One.

If his 1.8 yards per carry doesn’t look bad enough, this will make it even worse: His longest carry is 20 yards, which means he’s gained 48 yards on his other 36 rushes. That’s 1.3 yards per carry, an absurdly low average.

Of the Bears’ 218 rushing yards this season, 67 have been by quarterback Caleb Williams. If you exclude rushes by Williams and the Bears’ wideouts, their running backs have carried it 56 times for 130 yards, a measly 2.3 yards per carry.

In other words, if the Rams can’t stop the Bears’ ground game, they might not be able to stop anyone this season.

Sunday’s game is a perfect get-right opportunity for the Rams’ run defense. They don’t have David Montgomery or Jahmyr Gibbs to worry about. There’s no James Conner in the backfield, nor is there the threat of Kyler Murray running the ball. As athletic as Williams is, he’s no Kyler.

There’s no excuse if Los Angeles can’t slow down one of the game’s worst rushing attacks.

Steelers add former first-round CB to practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers added former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round NFL draft pick C.J. Henderson to their practice squad.

With the unfortunate news of second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr. heading to injured reserve, the Pittsburgh Steelers added some depth on Wednesday.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Steelers signed cornerback C.J. Henderson to their practice squad.

Henderson, a former first-round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2020 NFL draft, has appeared in 49 games (32 starts) for Jacksonville and the Carolina Panthers (2021-2023). In those matchups, Henderson has recorded 172 tackles (139 solo), 16 passes defensed, six tackles for a loss, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, one sack and a fumble recovery.

Henderson signed with the Houston Texans as a free agent, appearing in only one preseason game.

Henderson spent three seasons with the Florida Gators, appearing in 33 games and recording 93 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, six interceptions, 22 pass deflections and two defensive touchdowns. He excelled in single coverage, logging 172 single-coverage snaps and allowing only one touchdown on 49 targets.

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1838949249288905121

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Watch former Texas A&M CB Jaylon Jones notch his first career NFL interceptions

Texas A&M cornerback Jaylon Jones doubles up on interceptions snatching two against the Chicago Bears on Sunday morning

When Texas A&M defensive back Jaylon Jones entered the NFL draft in 2023, there were a few concerns about whether he should’ve stayed for one more year. However, he decided to bet on himself and was eventually picked in the seventh round by the Indianapolis Colts.

The No. 221 overall pick earned playing time last season and has been leaned on this season. Until this point, while a solid contributor, he hasn’t got an interception in his professional career. On Sunday, he had one of the better games of his short time in the league, with two interceptions and five tackles.

His timely picks helped secure the Colts’ first win of the season in a 21-16 win over the Chicago Bears. Below, you can watch both interceptions from the game. Jones’ size, length, and growing defensive instincts have quickly made him an absolute steal for the Colts.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

49ers respected Tutu Atwell’s speed at the line and he still burned them

The 49ers gave Tutu Atwell big cushions at the line and he still beat them with his speed

Tutu Atwell was thrust into a starting role on Sunday against the 49ers with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out, playing 74% of the offensive snaps in the Rams’ win. For a player who’s had limited opportunities with the Rams, he took full advantage of this one by hauling in four passes for 93 yards.

When he’s on the team, defenders have to respect his speed, which causes them to give him a cushion at the line of scrimmage so they don’t get beat over the top. That obviously opens up things underneath, something Matthew Stafford recognized by targeting Atwell on drag routes and crossers a couple of times where he could just outrun the man coverage.

Next Gen Stats uncovered just how much respect the 49ers paid Atwell. He was given an average cushion of 8.4 yards at the line of scrimmage, the eighth-largest of any receiver in the NFL.

Yet, he still beat them over the top with an average targeted air yards of 16.1. That means his average target was 16.1 yards down the field, which was the seventh-highest in the NFL this week.

Atwell was one of just three players with a cushion of at least 8.0 yards and targeted air yards of at least 10, joining Tre Tucker and Ja’Marr Chase.

Only 3 receivers averaged over 8.0 yards of cushion in Week 3 and had an avg. targeted air yards mark over 10.0: Tre Tucker (8.1 cushion, 12.3 TAY), Tutu Atwell (8.4 cushion, 16.1 TAY) and Ja’Marr Chase (8.7 cushion, 12.2 TAY).

Atwell’s biggest play of the game was his 50-yard reception late in the fourth quarter to set up Kyren Williams’ game-tying touchdown. That came on pre-snap motion where he was moving just before the snap, giving him a free release at the line. And despite the defender respecting his speed by backing off, he still burned the corner over the top.

Atwell’s speed is a real asset for the Rams when used properly and if he can continue to make plays underneath when defenders back off at the line, it’ll make him even more dangerous because with the ball in his hands, he can run away from most players trying to cover him.

Browns LB Jordan Hicks named NFLPA Community MVP in Week 3

The new Browns linebacker has thrived on and off the field.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks has been given the honor of being named NFLPA Community MVP.

The honor goes out to one player each week of the NFL season for their efforts to give back to the community. Jordan Hicks is currently in his first year with the Cleveland Browns but is a ten-year veteran linebacker with an excellent career on his resume. The team recently acquired Hicks after he was a free agent this offseason.

Hicks honorably hosted “True Strength Night” at his high school alma mater in Ohio. The event for Lakota West High School raised funds to help the school’s special needs department expand. The students of his alma mater participated in pre-game and halftime activities with the franchise during the event.

The school appeared extremely grateful for Hick’s commitment to his former high school and gave him quite an honor as well. The linebacker has been a fantastic addition to the 2024 Browns roster on and off the field.

Sean McVay praises Tutu Atwell’s performance in win over 49ers

Tutu Atwell led the Rams in receptions and receiving yards on Sunday. Here’s what Sean McVay had to say about his performance.

Tutu Atwell had himself a game against the 49ers, hauling in four receptions for 93 yards. He also caused a defensive pass interference penalty that moved the ball 48 yards and led to points for the Rams. Atwell was living up to the promise that he once had when the Rams drafted him, and he quickly established himself as the team’s go-to receiver in the absence of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

This fact was not lost on Sean McVay, who praised the receiver on Monday. McVay went deeper into his evaluation, recognizing how well Atwell played in key situations.

“He’s done a good job with that,” he said. “A couple of key third downs that he made catches on, obviously the deep ball on our sideline was a great track over his shoulder. I think he ended up with 93 yards on the day, but he had a 48-yard ‘PI’ that doesn’t go on the stats, but it moved our offense forward 48 yards that led to a scoring drive. There is a lot of trust. I think he and Matthew have a good trust. He did a lot of really good things for us last year and let’s see if we can build on that. Tutu made some big plays for us. He knew that he was going to get an opportunity and he delivered. Again, just happy for him and now let’s see how we move forward the right way.”

Matthew Stafford has had a go-to guy throughout his career. Whether it be Nacua or Kupp or even back to Calvin Johnson and Kenny Golladay, Stafford has the guy and Atwell is proving he can be that guy at the moment.

What separates Atwell from the rest of the receivers listed above is his quickness and lower center of gravity. Perhaps that will open up opportunities for big plays, especially with yards after catch. In the meantime, if Atwell continues his newly found level of play, the Rams’ season may just be getting started.

Rams rookie Braden Fiske was surprised how many 49ers fans packed SoFi Stadium

Braden Fiske couldn’t believe how many 49ers fans were at SoFi Stadium for the Rams’ win over San Francisco

Every time the San Francisco 49ers come to town for a rivalry game against the Los Angeles Rams, so too do their fans. And they come out in droves.

49ers fans always travel well and on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, it was certainly another takeover in Inglewood. Pre-game estimates were that 62% of the fans in attendance would be supporting the 49ers, but looking at photos and listening to the noise inside the stadium, the number might’ve been higher than that.

Rams rookie Braden Fiske got his first taste of this bitter rivalry and when asked by J.B. Long about it on the “Rams Revealed” podcast, his immediate answer was about the red in the stands.

“A lot more 49ers fans than I expected. They definitely packed the house, too,” he said.

As for the game itself, he enjoyed the uptick in intensity, and he’s especially happy the Rams pulled off a win.

“It was cool,” Fiske said. “We needed that against a rival. At the end there, started getting a little chippy. It was cool. I was just glad we were able to pull that one off and the environment definitely proved it was a rivalry.”

After losing nine straight regular-season games to the 49ers, the Rams have now won two consecutive meetings dating back to last year when Carson Wentz took them down in Week 18. Of course, they’ll square off again later this season in Week 15, a Thursday night showdown that could have massive playoff implications.

In the win, Fiske tied Kobie Turner for a team-high seven pressures, and also recorded two tackles with one fumble recovery.

Bills’ Josh Allen is the favorite to win 2024 NFL MVP after three weeks

Bills’ Josh Allen is the favorite to win 2024 NFL MVP after three weeks

Through three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has never looked better. As of Tuesday morning, the seventh-year signal-caller has surpassed Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs as the odds-on favorite to win the NFL MVP award.

After a slow start in the first half of Week 1’s comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, Allen has played dominant, mistake-free football while spreading the ball all over the field to his teammates. The latest was his effort against the Jacksonville Jaguars on ‘Monday Night Football’ in which he threw four first-half touchdowns and posted the highest total QBR (98.3) for a QB since the 2021 season.

His play has him sitting atop the league’s very best:

A couple of statistics highlight just how excellent he has been. First off, Allen’s EPA per dropback is currently .62, which is far ahead of everyone else in the league and is the highest by any NFL QB through three weeks of the season since 2016. Secondly, Allen’s 92.6 total QBR is the very best the metric has seen through three weeks since it was introduced in 2006.

So far in 2024, Allen has thrown seven touchdowns to zero interceptions while completing 75.0% of his passes. On the ground, he has added two scores and run for nine first downs.

We got glimpses of what the pairing of Allen and offensive coordinator Joe Brady could accomplish in the back half of last year, but what they’re doing to start the season is more than impressive.

It seems it’s all coming together for Allen in his seventh year. He has a running game, he has a good offensive line, and he has a play-caller in Brady who is making the game simple for his quarterback. It has never all clicked like this at once for Allen except for maybe the two playoff games in 2021. But even then, the running game wasn’t a major threat to defenses.

We will have to see if Allen and company can keep it up for the rest of the season. Just last year, after the Bills blowout the Miami Dolphins to move to 3-1, Allen found himself as the MVP favorite. But, this year feels different. With Brady calling the shots, the offense seems less one-dimensional on more sustainable.

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Sean McVay talks Matthew Stafford’s mindset during Rams’ big comeback

Matthew Stafford has had a plethora of game-winning drives throughout his career. Sean McVay details his QBs approach to critical situations

Matthew Stafford has been one of the premier passers in the NFL for quite some time and while most of his career doesn’t get the credit he deserves due to a lack of team success, Stafford has 45 career game-winning drives, ranking seventh all-time and first among active quarterbacks.

When asked about the mindset of his quarterback in these high-pressure situations, Sean McVay broke down Stafford’s poise and control.

“The best thing that I could say about yesterday, I never felt like he pressed,” McVay said Monday. “We were down 14 early. We were down 10 late. I thought he let the game come to him. I thought he made really good decisions throughout. I don’t know exactly what his numbers ended up, but he was very much in control, had great command, [and] he made great decisions throughout the course of the game based on what they presented defensively. I think that patience and ability to just play one play at a time was key and critical for the poise that was reflected, being able to score on the last four offensive series, two touchdowns [and] two field goals. He was great. He let it come to him. I didn’t think he pressed. There can sometimes be a tendency, not him, but just in general as a player [or] even as a coach when you feel like you have to get it all back in one play. He took what they gave him and then there were some opportunities to push the ball and it was what the coverage dictated and he made great throws and he had a chance to be able to let his back foot hit and let things go in rhythm. Guys made plays for him and he had the protection. I thought he was outstanding. He was so vital for us to have a chance to be in the position that we were in based on just how the game unfolded.”

Since joining the Rams, Stafford has led Los Angeles on multiple game-winning drives, including three straight in the 2021 playoffs to win Super Bowl LVI.

Last Sunday, Stafford engineered 20 second-half points, including multiple scores in the last three minutes of the game to give the Rams a 27-24 victory over the 49ers.